September Council – from Budget to Domestic Partner Benefits
2013-2014 Budget Key on the September 10th Palm Beach Gardens City Council meeting was the First Budget Hearing on the 2013-2014 budget. Allan Owens, Finance Administrator took the Council through an easy to follow presentation highlighting actions taken and economic factors that improved the City’s financial picture. These included: 2nd year in a row that property values increased Proactive dealing with both Police and Fire/Rescue pensions Strong... [Read More...]
August Council Approves Briger Tract NOPC
Briger Tract At the August Council Meeting last evening, modifications for the Briger tract development plan were proposed, providing new detail for the design of two intersections on Donald Ross Road, and a Notice of Proposed Change (NOPC) was approved. As this development is a “Development of Regional Impact” (DRI), affecting other jurisdictions including the county, FDOT and the town of Jupiter, the change was approved to be sent... [Read More...]
July Council – FPL Campus and Other Issues
Lasting until well past 10:30 pm, the July council meeting covered a lot of ground, but the most significant was Resolution 35, the approval of the current stage of the proposed headquarters campus for Florida Power and Light. FPL Campus Approved were four aspects of the plan: Design guidelines (a detailed description of the development standards for the site, including setbacks, height, landscaping, signage, lighting, uses, architecture and screening) Maximum... [Read More...]
Packed Chamber for June Council Meeting
Residents packed Palm Beach Gardens council chambers until the meeting was adjourned at 11:25 PM. The unusually large crowd received a surprise informational update from District 25 Senator Joe Abruzzo on legislative items worked on in the last session. He noted talks of a 2nd spring training facility and the benefit it would bring to Florida, our city and county. He said Florida will spend 90 million in charter school funding out of the 74.1... [Read More...]
May Council Meeting – Charter Schools
Announcements/ Presentations The Cleveland Clinic of Florida is opening in Donald Ross Village. Scott Fetterman, Deputy Chief, Fire Rescue was recognized for 31 years of service. Items of Resident Interest Amanda Buckley golf tournament was well attended. Nothing was resolved with the Inspector General lawsuit. Bert Premuroso gave a State of the City speech before the PGA Corridor Association. PBG is hosting a Youth Soccer Tournament from May 10-12th. A... [Read More...]
April Council – A New Mayor and a Proposed Roof Over Veteran’s Plaza
New Council Sworn-in New Mayor Bert Premuroso The first Council meeting since the March election featured the swearing-in of returning Councilmen Joe Russo and David Levy, and the election of Bert Premuroso as Mayor and Eric Jablin as Vice-Mayor – both chosen unanimously. Mayor-elect Premuroso, first elected in 2008, is a Vice President at SouthTrust Bank, and has been leading the Council as Vice-Mayor since David Levy left the Council to run... [Read More...]
Council Votes 3-1 to spend $1.6M on Employee Raises, Bonuses and Capital Projects
At the March City Council Meeting, Ordinance 1, 2013 passed on second reading with a 3-1 vote. A routine adjustment of budgeted initial fund balances, the $1.6M “surplus” reflecting higher revenues collected or lower actual expenses than budgeted, was wholly targeted to new spending. So what is the context for this apparent relaxation of austerity? Has the local economy turned the corner? The details of the proposal were first proposed... [Read More...]
Salary Increases for Employees Proposed at February City Council
At the end of the February City Council Meeting during “Items for Council Action and Discussion”, Vice Mayor Premuroso floated the idea of spending a $1.5 million apparent surplus in the current year budget on employee raises and selected capital improvements. The raise amount suggested was 2% – equivalent to what working people are paying again at the expiration of the two year reduction in the payroll tax. The others were enthusiastic... [Read More...]